[invisiblehand]

… yes, the insane quickly take over anonymous forums.

[invisiblehand]

@Arlingtonrider 728 wrote:

With the days starting to shorten soon, I would really appreciate some recommendations from regular commuters about a good light or lighting system to install on my commuting bike, which I use primarily on trails. I’ve found some information on the net, but mixed reviews regarding stability of mounts, etc., and some of the information might be out of date and not take new products into account. I commute about 50 minutes each way, and would like something that doesn’t require nightly recharging. The guy I spoke to at the bike store was helpful, but was not a commuter and obviously was recommending products sold by that store. Any suggestions? Also, I’ve heard about people using helmet lights to see the trails, and am wondering if that is a good idea too and what kind people have found best. Thanks in advance for any responses.

If you want to compare the latest lights out there, here is a great website.

http://eddys.com/articles/how-bright-is-that-light-ig493/

I mount a rear blinky in the bike and separate one on the helmet. I believe having a light higher up on the helmet helps visibility in traffic. Having a light mounted on the bike assures me that I always have at least one light pointed in an appropriate direction. Having multiple lights is, of course, more robust to a single light failure. Personally, I don’t think that there is much of a difference between standard rear blinkies. My experience is that the super bright ones often have less surface area. Consequently, overall visibility may or may not be much better with something fancy in the rear.

The light mounted on the main commuter bike is an old model; but it still works well. Although now that I think about it, I have different models on various bikes. One is a super flash.

The light on my helmet is self-leveling. http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3010.html

Both rear lights are also reflectors which helps satisfy VA state requirements for night riding on a bike.

I use a super bright helmet light during the winter. I don’t think it is made anymore. My model uses rechargeable AA batteries so that in a pinch, I could always purchase batteries at a store. The light is bright enough to illuminate the few dark spots on my commuter. But not nearly as bright as what the MTBers use at night. I did pick up a spare charger to leave at work in case I forget to charge the light. I also mount a blinky on the front.

I add reflector tape on the fenders, panniers, and such to improve night visibility. I also use arm/leg bands with LEDs. http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3030.html

[invisiblehand]

@Dirt 673 wrote:

Weird that Shimano puts a 28t max on the Ultegra long cage. My guess is that they wanted to keep the geometry of the derailleur close to the cogs, yet have the long cage able to take up the slack of the granny gear. Since they don’t make a 10s cog set bigger than 28, I guess they didn’t figrure anyone would use it.

That is correct. The difference between a GS road derailer and a GS MTB derailer is the path of the jockey pulley. The tension pulley is the same length — at least it appears so when eyeballing it. Switching from a short cage (SS) to a long cage (GS) road derailer should have no effect on whether the modification will work. Getting a long cage rear derailer, however, will let one shift to all gear combinations whereas you will probably lose the big-big and small-small combinations (or more) with the SS derailer.

Whether one can mate a 32-tooth cog with a road derailer depends on the length of the derailer hanger. Consequently, one cannot give a global answer without actually trying it. That said, I have never failed fitting a 30t cog with any Shimano road derailer with a little adjustment of the b-screw. Below is my 12-32 10-speed cassette with an Ultegra GS derailer.

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1000567210&k=Z6E33XPYT5TF6BD1P133XSQ2P4IB4ZYL4WFXC&oid=1405148581579

If you are going to pick up a rear derailer, I would try the MTB rear derailer first. Tandem folks appear to use the MTB derailers with 10-speed chains without an issue. Typically you can find an older LX derailers for a reasonable price. Note that Shimano is supposedly releasing a 12-36 cassette that is backwards compatible with their MTB derailers. (At least that is what I recall reading) I think SRAM is doing the same; but it is in the XX line which is wildly expensive.

[invisiblehand]

cool bike dude.

[invisiblehand]

I always liked John S. Allen’s Street Smarts.

http://bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/index.htm

With the understanding that cycling exposure data is generally pretty bad, I think that there is pretty strong case that the “dangers” of road riding is commonly overblown (and riding on sidewalks/paths underestimated). Nonetheless, staying alert and having knowledge of some basic strategies is a good idea.

[invisiblehand]

@jabberwocky 302 wrote:

I definitely won’t argue with you there. My comment was more a general rule, and depends heavily on the tire in question and the surface you’re riding on. For instance, the wider tire would likely not be faster on an indoor track (which is very smooth). On very rough pavement, an even wider tire might actually be faster. At some point, the skinny, high pressure tire is giving up a lot of energy by bouncing over pavement imperfections rather than flexing and absorbing them. Which is why my recommendation was for a 28mm-32mm tire rather than a full-on road skinny (which are usually 23mm).

And my personal favorite commuter tire is the Pasela TG in 28mm. Its worth noting that the Paselas are actually quite fast for their size; most tires in that width are a bit slower rolling.

I thought that is what you intended. At least some of the language pointed in that direction. And I should clarify myself that optimal size and tire pressure also vary for the loads being carried as well as surface.

Have you seen the Bike Quarterly tires tests? Pasellas — not tourguard — do exceedingly well. From memory, tourguard was not tested. PM me if you want a PDF sent to an e-mail address.

[invisiblehand]

@Diane Kean 265 wrote:

I have a space to park the bike in a parking garage that is relatively safe for the most part. I don’t want to spend more than $500 or $600 dollars. I will need to carry a lot of things with me: change of clothes, shoes, make-up, etc so I would be interested in panniers or something so I won’t have to rely on my backpack. Right now my bike is HEAVY, so I will definitely need to look for a lighter bike. Does the style of wheel make the bike heavier? Currently I have knobby mountain bike tires, thinking I would like something a little smoother but not the thin road tires.

At the $500-600 price point, at least with respect to value, I don’t think that there is much practical difference between bike brands. So I wouldn’t worry about getting a Trek, Giant, or whatever. There can be differences in bike geometries and specific offerings for women … the idea being that the average woman is built differently enough than men such that they need a model designed for women.

In my opinion …

You never mentioned the commute distance. But the longer the distance, the more you want to get the stuff off your back/body and onto the bike. A decent rack and pannier is worth every penny.

Suspension for road/path riding is a huge waste and completely unnecessary. Particularly if you get a bike that can fit wider road tires where you can adjust the pressure. If you rarely ride in wet weather, that standard rim brakes will be fine as opposed to disc brakes.

You sound like a hybrid-type of person. While the upright position is not particularly aerodynamic, you do have better visibility of your surroundings. Nevertheless, I would try as many bikes as you have patience. Make sure there are plenty of braze-ons for racks and eyelets for fenders … you may not ride in the rain today, but as you get more experience you might decide that it isn’t so bad. And experienced cyclists can stop pretty quick in wet weather with rim brakes.

At least by my quick interpretation, I’m going to agree with the comment about stubby tires but disagree somewhat with the general comments of jabberwocky below. The connection between rolling resistance and tire width is more complicated than (1) skinnier = less rolling resistance and (2) higher tire pressure = less rolling resistance. There is growing research that concludes that supple and wider tires — at least over some range — have less rolling resistance than the typical 23 mm road tire. Mind you, to gain less rolling resistance you might be increasing the likelihood of a flat. So there is no free lunch.

This is a podcast of Georgina Terry’s interview with Jan Heine.
http://tinyurl.com/yec98ze

Another example with Jobst Brandt. Notice that the 28c Avocet racing tires have lower rolling resistance than their 25c counterparts.
http://tinyurl.com/ya5499t

Oh … I would use a Panaracer Pasella Tourguard tire … ~35 mm in width … for touring/commuting/utility riding. Surprisingly low rolling resistance. Can support a wide range of tire pressures. Fairly durable, light for the width, and inexpensive. Now, I’m a realtively heavy guy. So you might get all of the benefits with the 28 or 32 mm size.

Before you buy a new bike. You might consider simply getting a more appropriate set of tires for your present MTB and trying it out. If it has braze-ons for a rack and has no suspension — an older MTB — it will probably make an effective commuter/utility bike.

@jabberwocky 268 wrote:

As for tires, skinny road tires are by far the most efficient thing to ride on pavement. They roll much, much quicker than knobby mtb tires on pavement (seriously, get on a road bike after riding a mtb on the road and you’ll feel like your bike has a motor on it). Wider slick tires get you some comfort at the expense of speed (they run at a lower pressure that absorbs road chatter better, but at the expense of increased rolling resistance). My personal recommendation would be a dedicated road tire in a slightly wider width (28mm-32mm), unless you ride on seriously rough pavement.

[invisiblehand]

Most people are pleasantly surprised by the ride of a quality folding bike. Here in the US, the primary brands are …

Bike Friday
http://www.bikefriday.com/

Xootr Swiftfolder
http://xootr.com/index.html

Brompton
http://www.brompton.co.uk/

Dahon
http://www.dahon.com/

and

Downtube
http://www.downtube.com/

I have a Bike Friday New World Tourist and my wife has a Pocket Crusoe. (I run the local Bike Friday club.) I used to own a Brompton and still have a Downtube. I’ve ridden all of the bikes above at various times and can answer some questions. Like nonfolding bikes, they come in different flavors and are designed for different purposes. Lucky for us, we have two dealerships in the area that have several models of folding bikes: Bikes at Vienna and College Park/Mt Airy Bikes. Dahon is sold at Revolution if I am not mistaken.

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